Yesterday, I left them and went straight back to my dorm. I was so exhausted that I went to bed as soon as I got back to my room, but I overslept in the morning, so I arrived at school just in time.
Nevertheless, it was too quiet. There should be many people at this time of day, but I donât hear much talking. I wondered about that, but I had to get into the classroom as soon as possible, so I stopped thinking about it and entered the classroom.
As soon as I entered the classroom, I saw that the students were gathered in their groups as usual, and nothing seemed to have changed. However, they were not chatting and laughing as usual, but instead were whispering to each other. I followed the eyes of my classmates to find out why. Then I understood why the class was so quiet.
I looked at Claire, who was dressed in a beautiful black dress that matched her shiny black hair, and had a flower ornament in her hair. What is this guy doingâ¦â¦? Itâs a bit confusing for everyone. Why arenât you wearing your uniform?
When I look at Claire quizzically, she turns around and our eyes meet, but she looks away in an instant. However, she glanced at me several times. And I think my face is somewhat red. I questioned Claireâs all too unnatural behavior and let my thoughts wander.
Why is she wearing a dress here in the first place? If youâre wearing a dress, itâs safe to assume that thereâs some kind of party going on. And if you have to come to school in a dress, that means you have to go to a party soon. That would explain why she was blushing and glancing at me.
In conclusion, Claire forgot that there was a party, made an appointment with me for a study session, and sheâs blushing with shame that she canât keep her promise to me. And sheâs probably glancing at me to see when to apologize.
If thatâs the case, itâs good news for me. Thereâs no point in teaching Claire how to study, and Iâll have less trouble. It was fortuitous, really. Iâll make it easy for Claire to come and apologize.
I smiled briskly at her, with a hint of âDonât worry, I donât mind.â Then, Claireâs face turned bright red and she looked forward with great vigor.
Did I miss something? Surely there was something in her pride that would not allow her to be nice to someone she didnât like. Huh, Iâm f*ckedâ¦â¦.
I was sighing and thinking to myself that she hated me again, when the bell rang for the start of the school day.
âHey, you guys, take your seats!â
The teacher walked into the classroom and the students followed his instructions and took their seats.
âOkay, attendance andâ¦â¦.â
The teacher stands at the podium, opens the attendance book, looks at the students, stops what he is about to say the moment he looks at them, and stands there stunned. Then, after freezing for a few seconds, he opened his mouth fearfully.
âOh, Ms. Alcala?â
âYes.â
Claire replies to the teacher with dignity.
âNo, itâs not attendanceâ¦â¦.â
âIf itâs not attendance, do you have a question for me? If there is, please make it quick. Your job is supposed to be teaching.â
The teacher was under pressure from Claire, who had said it outright, but spoke for all of us.
âUm, why arenât you wearing your uniform?â
âThatâs none of your business.â
She choked on her words and glanced at me, her face reddening again. What do you want me to do?
âHaa, butâ¦.â
The teacher was about to continue, when Claire interrupted him.
âYour job is to teach the class. I want you to get started.â
When she said that, the teacher gave up helplessly and started taking attendance. I think itâs because Claire is the daughter of a great nobleman that she canât say anything she wants.
After that, the class ended without incident and it was lunch time. I was sitting alone in my seat waiting for Claire to come and apologize. However, there was no sign of her approaching me or even looking at me. What am I going to do now?
As long as she didnât say anything to me, I would have to go to Claireâs study session, which never happened. No matter how much I knew, if I didnât go, Iâd be breaking my promise.
Then I realized. Isnât this the true purpose of Claireâs study group? If I didnât go to the study session, she could use that as an excuse to blame me, and if I did go, she could harass me by making me wait endlessly.
I donât mind if I have to wait for a long time, but I have to study with Alice today, so I donât want to be kept waiting. It would be fine if I could move my study session with Alice to another day, but I have an appointment with Mist tomorrow, so Iâd rather do it today.
As I was thinking about this, I saw Alice approaching, so I quickly got up and hurriedly left the classroom. I hurriedly left the classroom, checking my footsteps to make sure she couldnât close the distance between us as I headed for the back of the school building.
Is this a good place to be? When I reached the back of the school building, I stopped and looked back. Then, a red-faced, crowned Alice came out of the shadows of the school building, gasping for breath.
âWhy do you always run away?â
âNo, Iâm not running away.â
I just donât want to talk to you in a public place. If I could escape, I would.
âThen why did you come all the way out here?â
âDonât you think, Alice?â
âWhat?â
Alice asked, frowning in frustration.
She always listens to me honestly, and today, sheâs following me from behind. Sheâs kind of like a dog, even though she is a princess.
âPerhaps Alice came to talk about todayâs study session?â
âWell, yes.â
âIf I were to talk about it in the classroom, Iâd be announcing to everyone that Iâm teaching Alice how to study.â
âYes, thatâs rightâ¦â¦.â
Alice suddenly looked embarrassed, as she remembered that she shouldnât reveal that she was being taught by me. No, itâs not good to forget about it. Itâs a serious concern.
âAre you okay?â
I was worried and asked, but Alice turned red and got angry.
âIâm fine! Itâs just that I was looking forward to it so much that I forgot!â
âWell, okay. Anyway, I canât talk to you in front of the classroom or the students, so if you need to talk to me, Iâll just come here, okay?â
âYeah.â
Alice looks uncomfortable, dripping with frustration but Iâm a hundred times more frustrated than her.
âWe have to keep our relationship a secret?â
âOur relationshipâ¦â¦is a secret!â
I donât know why Alice muttered that, and her face suddenly brightened. She really is a person who changes her expression frequently.
âAll right, Chris! Itâs kind of a fairy tale, isnât it?â
I donât know what a fairy tale is, but if you get it, itâs okay.
âSee you at the study session, Alice.â
The time for the next class was approaching, so I just told her that and left the back of the school building, leaving Alice to muse and fantasize about âour secret meetingâ¦â¦âor something like that.